1. Field of the Invention
The subject invention directs itself to an improved method of detecting and quantitating cell malignancy in biological tissue. In particular, the subject invention directs itself to a method of measuring the amount of electromagnetic energy at approximately 260.0 nm which is absorbed by the nucleate of tissue samples. More in particular, the inventive method pertains to a system wherein the volume of nuclear material is controlled during the measuring of the amount of electromagnetic energy absorbed by the nucleate of the cells. Further, the inventive method relates to selecting a microscope aperture smaller in diameter than the magnified image of the nucleus being examined and by sectioning the tissue samples to a substantially uniform thickness. Still further, the invention herein described is directed to impinging the tissue samples with electromagnetic energy at approximately 260.0 nm and further filtering the reflected energy from the tissue samples with a secondary filter having a filtering capacity at approximately 260.0 nm prior to measurement of the electromagnetic energy from the tissue sample.
2. Prior Art
Methods of detecting cell malignancy in biological tissue are well-known in the art. Prior art known to the Applicant includes U.S. Pat. Nos. #3,327,117; #3,327,119; #4,207,892; #4,195,225; #4,115,802; #4,017,192; #3,505,524; #3,456,641; #3,824,393; #3,699,336; #3,740,144; #3,861,788; #3,765,775; #3,613,884; #3,540,824; #4,350,892; #4,293,221; #3,463,142; #3,497,690; #2,708,515; #4,093,381; #3,877,818; and, #4,063,892.
U.S. Pat. #3,327,117 and #3,327,119 are directed to cancer cell methods and apparatus. However, in such prior art, an aperture and optical path length was used which was large enough to contain the entire cell whose absorptance was being measured. In such prior art, the volume of the cell nucleus influenced the amount of absorptance at 260.0 nm. By allowing the volume of the cell nucleus to influence the amount of absorptance, such increases the uncertain parameters and diminishes the correlation between different growth patterns and the 260.0 nm wavelength absorptance of the genetic material.